A fresh crackdown on reckless driving has been made by Mayo County Council in an effort stop the “lunacy” of boy-racers terrorising rural areas.

CCTV footage has been installed in Crossmolina and other areas prone to the anti-social behaviour to help catch culprits. Any footage of irresponsible driving will be forwarded on to gardaí.

Local councillor Michael Loftus said boy-racers seem to “come and go in phases”—with significant increases during good weather.

Speaking to Independent.ie, Cllr Loftus said: “The good weather seems to bring [boy-racers] out more and they have this sort-of do whatever they want to do attitude.

“When they lose control, they just leave damage done to properties and the owners have to repair it themselves which is a burden. But, more importantly, they are risking lives.”

Mayo County Council has also enlisted the help of gardaí who plan to survey popular boy-racer areas in unmarked cars.

Cllr Loftus said areas around the N59 have shown decreasing fatality rates since major renovations have been completed on the road. However, he fears the death toll will rise again if boy-racers continue to drive recklessly in the area.

“The N59 is like a magnet to them,” said Cllr Loftus. “We used millions to invest in the area to improve safety measures, but now we are afraid those fatalities will reappear.”

“I just want [boy-racers] to think about their own families and the people who they are putting in danger. I’ve seen the effect of traffic accidents on the families involved and I don’t want to see anyone suffering due to loss.”

He urged those who witness boy-racers or any other form of reckless driving to contact the authorities to “protect the lives behind the wheel and those who can be injured due to their actions”.